Credit: Jeff Howe

Nice job by Duron Harmon to jump a route and intercept Mark Sanchez early in the third quarter. For whatever reason, Harmon hasn't gotten enough of a look in camp as the starting safety.

Logan Ryan also had a brief stint at safety. Same with Jemea Thomas, whose true position in the secondary still hasn't been defined.

Malcolm Butler forced and recovered a fumble in the third quarter. He was also part of a forced fumble in the first quarter. The kid keeps making plays. He'll make the 53-man roster, but sticking after Brandon Browner returns from a suspension will be more of a challenge.

Brian Tyms made another big play with a 17-yard touchdown catch on a fade pattern from Ryan Mallett.

Mallett looked really good tonight. He surprisingly scrambled to his left for a 6-yard touchdown, rolled to his right to deliver a 23-yarder to Josh Boyce on the right sideline and had the nice touchdown throw to Tyms.

Boyce played well aside from a drop, but he's been playing well against backups over the past couple weeks. He hasn't gotten many chances with the starters.

Roy Finch again showed his elusiveness with the ball in his hands, but he nearly got Mallett killed by missing a blitz assignment.

Ryan Wendell was playing center in the second half for the second straight game. Not a good sign for him as Dan Connolly has started twice.

Running back Jonas Gray has some shake to his power. Not sure he can stick on the roster without an injury because Finch and Brandon Bolden offer more on special teams.

Steve Maneri turned the wrong way when Tom Brady was intercepted by Cary Williams, who injured his hamstring and won’t return. This is Maneri’s sixth day on the team, and the Pats are hurting badly for healthy tight ends, which essentially leads to those kinds of results.

The flags, yeah, they’re horrible. What else is there to say?

James White and Shane Vereen were used in two-back sets. That’s been the case in practice and will surely happen plenty of times in the season.

Stevan Ridley has continued to run decisively through his holes.

The Pats opened in a 3-4 with Vince Wilfork, Tommy Kelly and Joe Vellano on the line, Chandler Jones, Rob Ninkovich, Jamie Collins and Dont'a Hightower at linebacker, Darrelle Revis and Malcolm Butler at cornerback and Devin McCourty and Kyle Arrington at safety.

Credit Butler for hanging onto Ifeanyi Momah long enough for Hightower to slam into him to force the fumble.

Jimmy Garoppolo was the first quarterback off the bench after Brady got two series. This happened for two reasons. First, Garoppolo has deserved the early reps with his play over the past week. Second, Mallett is dealing with a bothersome left knee injury that has affected him all week.

Develin might only catch a dozen passes this season, but they’re all going to be a lot of fun to watch.

Kenbrell Thompkins started over Brandon LaFell, who was essentially used as the fourth receiver in the rotation. Nice job by Thompkins on the back-shoulder touchdown catch from Brady. It’s been inconsistent, but when Thompkins and Brady are in a groove, it’s been really productive.

Ridley probably deserved better from the officials than to be credited with a fumble in the second quarter.

Revis remained on the field midway through the second quarter, probably because the Eagles only ran six plays in their first two drives.

Brandon Browner replaced Revis late in the second quarter. Butler might be playing over Browner to see what the rookie can give the team in a pinch against quality competition. Plus, Browner isn’t going to play a meaningful snap until October.

Garoppolo was really good in his first two series, but the offense was run-heavy and fairly basic. He came back to earth after the second touchdown, but then again, “second touchdown” is the operative phrase.

Tyler Ott can’t be missing blocking assignments that lead to blocked punts as he tries to overtake Danny Aiken as the long snapper. Aiken, meanwhile, made the downfield tackle on the next punt. Wouldn’t be too surprised if Ott found the same fate as running back Stephen Houston, who was cut after fumbling in the preseason opener.

Arrington moved to the slot in the nickel, and Chung became the safety.

Jerod Mayo, Alfonzo Dennard among 20 Pats not in uniform

The following Patriots aren't in uniform for pregame warmups:

WR Aaron Dobson

S Tavon Wilson

RB Tyler Gaffney

S Kanorris Davis

CB Alfonzo Dennard

TE D.J. Williams

LB Cameron Gordon

TE Michael Hoomanawanui

LB Jerod Mayo

LB Ja'Gared Davis

LB James Anderson

DL Ben Bass

C Bryan Stork

T Chris Martin

DL Dominique Easley

WR Jeremy Gallon

TE Rob Gronkowski

DL Chris Jones

DL Sealver Siliga

DL Jerel Worthy

Dennard is the only unexpected name on the list. He was cleared for contact this week but obviously still hasn't been cleared for game action.

Jeremy Maclin ruled out for Eagles

Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin has been declared out by the Eagles after suffering an injury this week in practice. Riley Cooper also won't play.

Darrelle Revis wasn't going to shadow Maclin anyway, as the corner has remained on the left side through camp and the preseason, which is how they deployed Aqib Talib last summer. If this were a regular-season game and the Eagles didn't have either of their two best receivers, I'd guess the Pats would assign Revis to tight end Zach Ertz, who is their most dangerous weapon in uniform.

Nate Solder warming up on the field

Nate Solder is on the field stretching, which makes it appear he'll play tonight. Solder left yesterday's walkthrough with a trainer for unknown reasons, so his status was important to monitor tonight.

Jimmy Garoppolo takes the field, 11 NFL scouts in attendance

Jimmy Garoppolo has taken a stroll around the field before getting warmed up. Jordan Devey is the only other Patriot currently on the field.

There are 11 NFL teams represented by scouts in the press box: Ravens, Bills, Bears, Cowboys, Lions, Texans, Jaguars, Chiefs, Dolphins, Saints, Steelers. There are also three CFL scouts in the building.

Good afternoon from Gillette Stadium

Hello from Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots and Eagles are less than three hours away from kicking off their second preseason game, which is also the Pats' exhibition home opener.

Julian Edelman is currently on the field catching passes, and a handful of Eagles have filtered onto the turf after the team buses arrived a few minutes ago.

The parking lots are still quiet, but that's expected this time of year.

Right now, it's 66 degrees with a light breeze and a lot of clouds. It's gotten cold here at the end of the week.

We reported yesterday Tom Brady will play tonight, so that probably means the remaining healthy starters will get some action, too.

Keep it here throughout the night for some updates and observations from Gillette.